Man charged with hitting, dragging Army recruiter

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 52-year-old Minneapolis man was charged Thursday with striking two U.S. Army recruiters with his car, then dragging one of them nearly three-quarters of a mile as the man screamed, police say.

Enrico Darius Taylor was charged Thursday with three counts of criminal vehicular operation in Ramsey County District Court. A message left with his attorney was not immediately returned.

"This defendant displayed a blatant disregard for the life of both victims, and he is clearly a threat to our community," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Taylor struck two Army recruiters Tuesday afternoon as they were walking toward their Roseville office. One rolled over the hood of the SUV, but a second man, later identified as Staff Sgt. Travis Torgerson, was pulled underneath and got stuck.

According to the criminal complaint, witnesses saw Torgerson hanging on to the rear bumper of the SUV and screaming as he was being dragged. On two different occasions, witnesses said, Taylor got out of the SUV and tried to dislodge Torgerson, but then got back in the vehicle and kept driving.

After nearly three-quarters of a mile, Torgerson freed himself. Police arrived to find him on the pavement, bleeding and in tattered clothing. He suffered many broken bones, including his tibia, fibula, tailbone and several ribs. He also had deep abrasions on his back and buttocks and will require several skin grafts.

After Taylor was arrested, he initially denied involvement but later admitted he didn't see the two men and panicked because his license was suspended, the complaint said. Taylor told police he tried to free Torgerson, but drove away because other vehicles were approaching. Police said he began crying when told how far he had dragged Torgerson.